Request for Quotation of Services
Communications Officer
Please submit your quote by email/regular mail or in person no later than August 21, 2026 at 11:00am
to:
Township of West Orange
Panayiota Reynolds, Purchasing Agent
66 Main Street, Room 111
West Orange, NJ 07052
preynolds@westorange.org
Phone: (973) 325-4056
Fax: (973) 736-8380
It is recommended that you call to ensure the receipt of your email submission.
The Township of West Orange (the “Township”) requires the services of a Communications Officer to
perform specific duties including, but not limited to coordination regarding media inquiries, design and
create graphic content, maintain the digital e-sign. The successful bidder (or vendor) will be a part-
time/Independent Contractor position and not employer/employee or principal/agent. The
Communications Officer shall report to the Mayor or designee.
The contract is for a duration of 12 months. Compensation will be calculated annually and paid in equal
monthly installments. Factors for consideration include, but are not limited to, experience, availability,
cost, and technical expertise. When submitting your proposal, please include your experience and
references.
Scope: Responsibilities of the Communications Officer shall include, but not limited to:
Design and create graphic content for social media platforms, the Township website and
digital e-sign.
Maintain direct responsibility for e-sign updates and maintenance.
Interface directly with media sources in order to provide accurate information about the
Township.
Draft press releases and assist in the preparation of official statements.
In collaboration with and approval by the Mayor’s Office, post on social media and/or the
News & Announcements section of the Township website.
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Collaborate with the Mayor’s Office for the planning of occasional ceremonial and holiday
events and provide photos for use on social media when in attendance.
If and when necessary, receive the weekly reports from the Office of the Chief of Police/Fire
or their designee(s) and transform the information into a brief paragraph/synopsis of each
incident. The synopsis will be released as a weekly Emergency Services Blotter. The successful
bidder shall be guided by all laws/guidelines governing the release of permitted information.
Present Township announcements at Town Council meetings during public comment for the
Council and public.
The Township will provide the successful vendor with the hardware and software, its maintenance, a
dedicated phone line, and office supplies required to facilitate the duties listed in this contract
within the budget parameters established by the Township. All hardware and software will be
considered the property of the Township, and the successful vendor shall return all equipment at
the conclusion of this or any subsequent contract with the Township.
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY
The successful vendor shall agree that no public statements, materials or other presentations shall be
made without approval of the Mayor or designee. The successful vendor also agrees not to incur any
expenses on behalf of the Township without first obtaining written approval.
All promotional materials shall become the Township’s property. The successful vendor agrees to
indemnify and defend the Township against all claims and actions by third parties for damages resulting
from any breaches of your contract with the Township. The Township agrees to indemnify the successful
vendor against libel, copyright infringement or any third-party action when acting in good faith on
behalf of the Township under the tenets of a contract with the Township.
The successful vendor will be held responsible for all hardware and software provided by the Township
for the facilitation of the duties agreed hereto.
Any additional expenses must have prior authorization. No overtime or additional fees will be paid or
due under this agreement.
The successful vendor shall agree not to accept any commissions or other enumeration with regard to
services performed under the contract with the Township.
The successful vendor shall agree to disclose to the Mayor and Business Administrator any marketing or
other services which involve public figures, sensitive issues or other controversial or potentially
controversial matters.
The successful vendor shall agree that all information and documents obtained in the course of the
Contract are strictly confidential and highly proprietary. As such, the successful vendor shall agree not to
discuss, distribute or disseminate any information or documents concerning the Township, its
employees, elected officials, representatives and agents at any time during the term of the contract and
thereafter without the express written consent of the Township. Any such discussion, distribution or
dissemination will cause irreparable harm to the Township and the parties consent to injunctive,
emergent and temporary relief restraining such activities.
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GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. The Township of West Orange reserves the right to reject any or all quotes, or to waive any
informalities in the quotes, and unless otherwise specified by the bidder, to accept any item in
the quote, should it be deemed in the best interest of the Township of West Orange to do so.
2. In case of default by the bidder or contractor, the Township of West Orange may procure the
articles or services from other sources and hold the bidder or contractor responsible for any
excess cost occasioned thereby.
3. The bidder, if awarded a contract, agrees to protect, defend and save harmless the Township
of West Orange against any damage for payment for the use of any patented material
process, article or devise that may enter into manufacture, construction, or form a part of the
work covered by either order or contract, and the bidder further agrees to indemnify and save
harmless the Township of West Orange from suits or actions of every nature and description
brought against it, for, or on account of any injuries or damages received or sustained by any
party or parties by, or from any of the acts of the contractor, his/her servants or agents.
4. It is to be understood by the bidder that this quote is submitted on the basis of specifications
prepared by the Township of West Orange and the fact that any bidder is not familiar with
these specifications or conditions will not be accepted as an excuse.
5. Each quote must be signed in ink by the person authorized to do so.
6. Bidders must use the proposal form furnished by the Township of West Orange when
submitting their quote, if applicable.
7. Payments will be made upon the approval of vouchers with the requirements of the Township
of West Orange and subject to the Township of West Oranges customary procedures.
8. Contract will be awarded on a (Line Item) or (Lump Sum) basis, if applicable.
9. Award will be made by Township of West Orange within sixty (60) days after receipt of
quotes.
10. Equal or Tie quotes. The Township of West Orange reserves the right to award at their
discretion to any one of the tie bidders.
11. The Township of West Orange is exempt from any State sales tax.
12. The contract, if applicable, shall be in effect for 1 year (12 months)
13. Pay to Play Requirements Contractors are advised of the responsibility to file an annual
disclosure statement on political contributions with the New Jersey Election Enforcement
Commission, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 19:44-20.13(P.L. 2005, c, 271, s.3), if the contractor receives
contracts in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate from public entities during the calendar year. It
is the contractor’s responsibility to determine if filing is necessary. Additional information on
this requirement is available from ELEC at 888-313-3532 or at www.elec.state.nj.us
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Business Registration Certification
Effective September 1, 2004, the State has expanded its Contractor Registration
Program to local Government contracts, P.L. 2004, c57. All business organizations that
do business with a local government agency are required to be registered with the
State. The business must provide proof of that registration to the local government
agency before that local government agency can enter into a contract with the
business. A copy of the Business Registration Certificate must also be on file before
any purchase order/voucher or other contracting document can be issued.
Contractors are responsible for notifying subcontractors.
Further information and registration can be obtained online from the NJ Treasury,
Division of Revenue or by calling (609) 292-1730.
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C. 271 POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION
DISCLOSURE FORM
Contractor Instructions
Business entities (contractors) receiving contracts from a public agency that are NOT awarded pursuant
to a “fair and open” process (defined at N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.7) are subject to the provisions of N.J.S.A.
19:44A-20.26. This law provides that 10 days prior to the award of such a contract, the contractor shall
disclose contributions to:
any continuing political committee (a.k.a., political action committee)
any candidate committee of a candidate for, or holder of, an elective office:
o of the public entity awarding the contract
o of that county in which that public entity is located
o of another public entity within that county
o or of a legislative district in which that public entity is located or, when the
public entity is a county, of any legislative district which includes all or part of
the county
The disclosure must list reportable contributions to any of the committees that exceed $200 per election
cycle that were made during the 12 months prior to award of the contract. See N.J.S.A. 19:44A-8 and
19:44A-16 for more details on reportable contributions.
N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.26 itemizes the parties from whom contributions must be disclosed when a business
entity is not a natural person. This includes the following:
individuals with an “interest” ownership or control of more than 10% of the profits or assets
of a business entity or 10% of the stock in the case of a business entity that is a corporation
for profit
all principals, partners, officers, or directors of the business entity or their spouses
any subsidiaries directly or indirectly controlled by the business entity
IRS Code Section 527 New Jersey based organizations, directly or indirectly controlled by the
business entity and filing as continuing political committees, (PACs).
When the business entity is a natural person, “a contribution by that person’s spouse or child, residing
therewith, shall be deemed to be a contribution by the business entity.” [N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.26(b)] The
contributor must be listed on the disclosure.
Any business entity that fails to comply with the disclosure provisions shall be subject to a fine imposed
by ELEC in an amount to be determined by the Commission which may be based upon the amount that
the business entity failed to report.
The enclosed list of agencies is provided to assist the contractor in identifying those public agencies
whose elected official and/or candidate campaign committees are affected by the disclosure
requirement. It is the contractor’s responsibility to identify the specific committees to which
contributions may have been made and need to be disclosed. The disclosed information may exceed the
minimum requirement.
The enclosed form, a content-consistent facsimile, or an electronic data file containing the required
details (along with a signed cover sheet) may be used as the contractor’s submission and is disclosable to
the public under the Open Public Records Act.
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This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.
